A Cop, A Doctor, A Vampire, and A Bookstore
by Elf
Summary: The sequil to "Away in a Blood bank", Dr. Amanda Wallace finds out more about this world of vampires, demons, and darkness much to Angel's surprise.


**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the _Angel_ characters, they are owned by Joss Wheadon, David Greenwalt and 20th Century Fox, so don't sue because I'm broke and have no money.   
  


**Author's Notes: **This is the third part of my series. What should I call it? Because I'm clueless. Thanks, oh, and send all feedback to Elf, Jennifer, at slaybrat@aye.net, and slayerbrat@yahoo.com. Thanks!   
  


**_A Cop, A Doctor, A Vampire, and A Bookstore_**   
  


Amanda Wallace rested her head up against the frosted glass of the administratior's office. Dr. Richard Weaver was a short man with coppery red hair, glasses, and walked with a limp. He was also a hound and a nuisance. He gave Amanda the once over when she had first walked into his office.   
  


Amanda looked at Weaver and asked, "Yes Dr. Weaver?"   
  


Weaver smiled, an almost wicket smile. He was a bastard and good at it. One of her friends, a surgeon named Beth Ross, hated working with the talented surgeon. He answered, "I just have some questions, Dr. Wallace."   
  


Amanda swallowed and replied, "Go ahead and ask away."   
  


Weaver chuckled and asked, "You were born in America, weren't you?"   
  


"Yes," Amanda answered cautiously, not knowing where this was leading.   
  


Weaver went on, "Your father timed it pretty conviently that you were born here. I mean, it made your father, your mother, and you US citizens."   
  


"My father had a permeant Visa before I was born," Amanda told him, "He was already a citizen of the United States." _What was the point for this little bugger asking my father's history?_ Amanda thought as she looked at the short man.   
  


"Your mother died in childbirth, didn't she?" he asked, curious.   
  


"Yes," Amanda painfully answered. She never knew her mother, she was raised mostly by her father, the kind and loving man that he was.   
  


"Your dad's doing some impressive work on the AIDS cocktail, isn't he?" Weaver asked almost timidly.   
  


_He fears my father. He knows how strong my father's presence is in the medical field, and he's afraid that John Wallace will get over protective of his "wee Lassie". Well, the bugger's smarter than he looks, _Amanda thought with a smile. She answered, "Aye, he is."   
  


"And you're pretty good yourself," he told her. It wasn't a question, it was a complement.   
  


"Well, except for someone stealing that corpse a few days ago and the blood bank incident last night," Amanda replied.   
  


Weaver laughed and said, "You've got humility. I don't like that. I want my doctors to be sons of bitches, or in your case, Amanda, I can call you Amanda, can't I?"   
  


Amanda nodded, wishing that he didn't, but was slightly glad that she had got the Administratior's favor. She answered, "Yes, you can call me Amanda."   
  


He grinned at her and replied, "Then you've gotta call me Richard. Okay then, now, where was I, yeah, what I want my doctors to be. I want them to be tough. Real sons of bitches, or in your case, a bitch, confident of their work. You're stubborn, like your father. I've heard that about you."   
  


"Yeah, I'm just a regular Doug Ross," she replied ironically.   
  


He laughed and said, "That's pretty good. Now, there's a police detective coming to ask you some questions." There was a knock on the door. Weaver called out, "Come in."   
  


An attractive blond woman walked in. She was dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt and a blue flannel shirt. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face in a pony tail, giving Amanda a look at tilted, icy blue eyes. She looked Amanda over and Amanda did the same, not shrinking under the authorative gaze. The woman smiled just a bit as Amanda casually leaned back.   
  


Weaver said, "Well, I'm going to leave you two lovely ladies alone." With that closer, he walked out of the office.   
  


The woman flashed a badge and said, "I'm Detective Kate Lockley, and I want to ask you a few questions, Dr. Wallace. Would you sit down?"   
  


Amanda smiled and answered, "No, I'm more comfortable standing."   
  


Admiration sparked in Kate's blue eyes. She laid a file on the desk. She asked, "Last night you walked into the blood bank and you found Sara Head and James Miller dead, correct?"   
  


Amanda nodded and answered, "Yes, I did."   
  


"Did you get a clear look at the attackers?" Kate asked.   
  


"Typical biker punks from this cesspool known as Los Angeles," Amanda answered sharply. The hairs on the back of her neck were tingling, her palms were icy cold and her face was hot. There was something about the police detective that she didn't like.   
  


It just hit her, like a fist. Like the vampire that had hit her the other night. Not her Walking Dead Guy, who she referred to as WDG in her head, but Vampire Number Two. She didn't like this police woman. She was getting a bad feeling about her.   
  


_Kill them all, _the woman's aura was shouting. Amanda looked at Kate and asked, "Any other questions?"   
  


Kate moved closer and answered, "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. I can lock you up as an accessory to murder if you do not cooperate, and your dear daddy won't be able to do anything to help you."   
  


Amanda grit her teeth and tried to pleasantly smile. She answered, "Well go on Ms. Lockley."   
  


"Where did these 'two biker punks' go after you entered the bank?" Kate asked, holding a small notebook and pad in her hand.   
  


"They just ran out," Amanda answered, trying to cover her nervousness.   
  


Kate asked, "Did you know there was a large deposit of ash in the room?"   
  


"No I dinna know that," Amanda answered cautiously.   
  


"So, you came in and they just ran off?" Kate asked skeptically, trying to lure her into a trap.   
  


_Smart woman, but I think I'm smarter, _Amanda thought. She answered, "Yes. I scared them off."   
  


"Really, I heard reports from a nurse Heather Smith that a tall, dark complected man was seen fleeing the scene. Is this true?"   
  


"Smith had just got of working a double. Working that long in this place can give a person hallucinations," Amanda replied.   
  


"You didn't answer my question, Dr. Wallace," Kate cautioned.   
  


"No, it isn't true," Amanda told her with a frown. She was trying to keep her expression puzzled.   
  


Kate glared at her and Amanda looked down her nose at her. It was good on occasion to be very tall for a woman. She crossed her arms and asked, "Anything else, because I have some things I need to do?"   
  


Kate answered, "Yes, Dr. Wallace, there is. Three nights ago there was a body brought into the ER, then carted to the morgue. Is it true that the body turned up missing?"   
  


Amanda swallowed and answered, "I don't know. I don't go around checking the morgue. I work in the ER." Her answer meant to sound confidant and annoyed, but Amanda found herself sounding nervous.   
  


Kate pulled something out of the folder. She said, "I asked both paramedics that came in about what the body looked like. Does this look familiar to you?" She showed Amanda a picture of her Walking Dead Guy. He looked grainy in the photo, obviously surveillance, but there was a clear shot of him looking up at the camera. He had an angry, dangerous expression on his face.   
  


Amanda swallowed and answered, "No, I've never seen him before. And if I did, I would be sure that I would recognize him."   
  


Kate sighed and said, "Sorry about taking your time. Stay in town Dr. Wallace, you may be called into testifying." With that, she walked out of Weaver's office, leaving her alone.   
  


****** 

Elijah Carnegie sometimes missed being a magician, but other times he was glad that he had stopped and became the owner of Cobwebs: Used and Rare Books. Elijah watched with a smile as the pretty redhead buried her nose into his books. She had been here a good four hours and reading nonstop.   
  


Nodding, she added the book to a large stack and walked among the stacks. She pushed wisps of her red hair off her face as she picked up a book. She paged through it. Her expression changed, became exited and curious as she sat down. She read through the book like a demon, tearing through whatever passage she was reading.   
  


Elijah smiled at himself as he took a sip of his coffee. Maybe he would have a better client than Angel for once. He watched the redhead as someone lightly tapped his shoulder. He spun around, his heart pounding fast, as he faced the person.   
  


Then he relaxed.   
  


"Hello Elijah, has my book come in yet?" Angel asked as he leaned up against the counter.   
  


Elijah smiled and shook his head. His Scottish accent was bearly there, but if you knew what you were looking for, one could find it. He answered, "Not yet, Lad. It's not so much finding the book, it's finding a witch that will part with it."   
  


Angel smiled briefly and said, "Okay then. I'm not complaining. You'll get the book, eventually. Besides, isn't that what magicians do, the impossible?"   
  


Elijah smiled as the vampire disappeared into the stacks. He wondered what Angel would say when he saw the redhead there.   
  


****** 

Angel walked into the stacks with a slight smile on his face. He loved this store: he never knew what he was going to find here. Besides Elijah was a friend who knew what Angel was and was comfortable with it. That was a comfort in Angel's dark life, he knew, and sometimes, one could take all the comfort one could get.   
  


Then he smelled something familiar to him. The scent was feminine and had a hint of roses with it. Curious, he walked further into the stacks to see at one of the tables Dr. Wallace sitting there and reading an ancient text. His eyes widened as he looked at her.   
  


_How the hell do we keep on meeting like this?_ Angel asked himself as the pair of dark green eyes met his. It seemed strange to see her out of her scrubs and lab coat and to see her in a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and a leather jacket. Her tumble of curls was loose and flowing around her face as she looked up at him. Then she smiled.   
  


"Angelus," she said as she stood up in one swift motion. She wasn't afraid. Instead, she asked, "So, demons have been here longer than man, right?"   
  


Angel nodded slowly, surprised at her. When he found that he could talk, he asked, "How do you know who I am?"   
  


"Were," she corrected as she watched him with interest. She answered, "There was a whole passage on Angelus, the One With the Angelic Face, the Scourge of Europe, but I don't think that was you."   
  


"Why not?" Angel asked her sharply.   
  


She gestured to the books with a slender hand. She answered, "Because the Angelus I read about in here would have seduced me then ripped my throat out, possibly torturing me first, when he woke up in the morgue."   
  


Angel moved behind her, circling her, picking up a book. He told her, "You've done your homework, Doctor."   
  


She replied, "Well, I had questions and since you weren't going to give me answers, I had to find out about them myself."   
  


Angel watched her and slowly asked, "And this doesn't bother you?"   
  


"It exsplanes a lot, actually. Many hospital cases. Many DOAs. Just don't tell my father. He's Catholic," she answered him as she turned to face him. She leaned against the chair.   
  


He didn't know what to say to her, except, "Well, you're handling this better than anyone else I've met."   
  


She laid her hand on one of the books. Angel got a glimpse of her watch as she leaned back. She tilted her head on her shoulder, letting her long, red curls fall around her face in an impish, almost witchlike manor. She said, "Information can do a lot to a person's point of view."   
  


Then she asked, "Why aren't you evil then? There has to be a reason." She placed her hands on her hips and watched him. Her gaze was a bit disconcerting.   
  


He answered, "A Gypsy curse."   
  


She nodded and replied, "That makes sense. A soul restoration, I take it."   
  


"You've been reading a lot, Doctor," Angel said to her. He was slightly uneasy with all this knowledge she had. _At least she's handling it well, _Angel thought grimly as he looked at her.   
  


"Amanda. Amanda Wallace is my name," Amanda told him as she held out her slender hand.   
  


_Now I know her name. This isn't going to be easy, _Angel thought as he shook her hand. He felt a few callouses on her fingers, probably from filling out paperwork. "Angel," he told her.   
  


"Angelus is too long anyway," Amanda told him as he let go of her hand.   
  


"You've got me at a disadvantage here," Angel told her as she gathered up some books.   
  


She turned and handed him a card. She said, "Here's my phone number and e-mail address. If you want to know me better ask."   
  


Was she asking him on a date? Angel cautiously took the card from her slender fingers and placed it into his pocket. She said, "I have some things I need to do know. But it's nice that I know your name now." She walked off, payed for her books, and left the store.   
  


Angel followed her out there and watched as she strattled a motorcycle. She slipped a black helmet on and gunned the engine. She speeded away from the store in a flash, leaving Angel alone.   
  


Elijah came out and asked, "Is she a witch?"   
  


Angel shook his head and answered, "No, she isn't."   
  


"A curious lass," Elijah said as he walked back into the store. Angel blinked before he followed the portly man back into his shop.   
  


****** 

"She knows who and what you are and were, and didn't run away screaming?" Cordelia asked in disbelief as she paced around the room.   
  


Wesley said, "That seems very unlikely. Most people have a diverse reaction to the supernatural."   
  


Angel sighed and said, "She took it in stride."   
  


Cordelia asked, "Do you have a name?"   
  


"And a phone number, and an e-mail address," Angel answered as he handed Cordelia his card. She took it from him and rolled it in her hands.   
  


She whistled and said, "Boy, she works fast. Guess you made an impression."   
  


"But I don't want to make an impression," he protested.   
  


"You couldn't help it Angel, besides, I think she'll forget all about you within a few days," Wesley said with a smile.   
  


"Or she'll pop up in some place where I least expect her to," Angel said grimly.   
  


"You like her," Wesley said with a knowing grin.   
  


Angel glared. She was intelligent and striking, and not helpless like many of the other women he saw on a daily basis. She was also beautiful, but not vain about it. _She wants to be seen as who she is, not what she looks like, _Angel thought grimly as he looked at Wesley.   
  


Simply, he said, "If I see her, I see her, if I don't I don't."   
  


"Just don't get pelvic with her, and we'll be okay," Cordelia said with her old tactlessness.   
  


Angel glared and waited for Wesley to come up with a Buffy comment. He was grateful when the ex-Watcher didn't. "Besides, we've got more important things to think about," Angel said as he stood up.   
  


"What?" Wesley asked, immediately switching to Battle Mode.   
  


Angel smiled and answered, "One, I need to find a new place to stay, and two, a new office."   
  


"Oh, yeah," Cordelia said thickly and ironically. Angel knew what her message was, "Lets do something else so Angel'll forget the pretty doctor."   
  


Then Angel added, "And find out what Wolfram and Hart raised. I don't have time to pursue romances or redhead doctors who are too curious for their own good."   
  


Wesley and Cordelia gave each other, "Unhuna" looks. Cordelia said, "Sure, Angel, whatever."   
  


"Yes, we need to get to work right away," Wesley said as he went to get his jacket.   
  
  
  


"I mean it, damn it," Angel called to them as they walked away.   
  


"Unhuna, Angel."   
  


"Of course, Angel."   
  


"Damn it, I mean it," Angel shot out them. He sat down at the kitchen table and said, "I mean it."   
  


The End! 

Next story, we finally get to meet the villain!   
  
  
  



End file.
